


Once in a Blood Moon

by Destructionofsanctum (Momoisme), Momoisme



Series: In Another Life [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: 14-1500s AU, Bad guys die, F/F, Harkon hates the Catholic Church, cmon guys you're gonna have fun, injuries, some blood, the good guys win
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-09-23 00:59:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17070509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momoisme/pseuds/Destructionofsanctum, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momoisme/pseuds/Momoisme
Summary: In the mountains of Eastern Europe, a lone werewolf is captured and gifted to the daughter of a vampire lord, but she isn't the only one trapped.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! Welcome to an Elayn/Serana story that pretty much gave me the ability to pick and choose what bits of the Dawnguard questline I cared about without the annoying bits (*coughIsrancough*), all repackaged in a shiny AU! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> For more, go see my blog at destructionofsanctum.tumblr.com

Bound. In silver no less. Tied and gagged and left kneeling at the floor of her “mistress”, or so the vampire in the great hall had proclaimed. It made her and the wolf within her furious, only dignity restraining her from growling and snarling like a beast. Not in this den of evil.

* * *

 

 

Serana gazed at the bound woman before her, schooling her features into a mask of dispassionate neutrality, but it hid the fact that her mind was reeling with shock. Two of her father’s monstrous guards had dragged her before the court of Harkon and said that she had been caught sneaking through their lands in beast form. A werewolf, like the guards holding her, free until she had been caught. Her father had been in a merry mood, greatly helped by the blood he glutted himself on in celebration of the Blood Moon, and had said--

Well. 

“A daughter as devoted as you should have a pet, my child.”

That was when the woman-- who had been unconscious-- came to life with stunning ferocity, clearly enraged by his decree. That was when chattel had been summoned to bind her in silver, at which point her guards were no longer necessary and were bidden to leave. The cloth gag was because she had quickly resorted to snarling obscenities, most of which had to do with the various parentages’ of the court. 

It wasn’t as though Serana herself was very thrilled with this turn of events. Her study of necromancy and alchemy kept her well occupied, she didn’t need this… distraction. What was she supposed to do with a werewolf as a pet? Those enraged silver eyes staring daggers at her gave her the the impression she would rather die than be chained for very long. 

What was she to do? 

“I will remove your gag if you keep a civil tongue,” she said, careful not to drop that hateful gaze. Wolves were particular about unspoken battles of will, and the first to look away would win the first. 

Of course, vampires had different rules. 

A low growl built in her chest, but she did not look away, and Serana called on her vampiric nature to draw the woman into her eyes, a gift of the blood that let her lull chattel into a state of dreamlike calm. It wasn’t something she had ever tried on a werewolf, so she wasn’t sure if it would work, but after a few moments the growling subsided, and she reached again to loosen the woman's bindings. 

The chains came away with a sharp rattling sound and Serana bit back a hiss when she saw the flesh revealed was burned in a pattern resembling the silver links. It couldn't be comfortable, though the other woman made no sign of relief to have the silver removed. She simply stared at the wall behind Serana, blinking slowly. 

Now what? When Serana's trance wore off, the werewolf woman would again be as wild and untamed as she had been before her father's court. If only there was a way to get through to her, make her understand their positions were not vastly different. Ever since Serana's mother's disappearance, her father had become erratic, prone to wild mood swings and violence. In fact, there were days when Serana wondered if it might not be safer to strike out on her own, away from her family home that had become a tomb of bad memories. 

But to explain this to a woman who would want her dead if not for her stolen will? Unlikely. 

Still… 

“Can you understand me?” she asked, assuming the answer was yes by the way the werewolf woman had reacted to Harkon's pronouncement. It couldn't hurt to be sure, and Serana was glad to see her nod with a stiff neck. 

“Good,” she said. She realized she was wringing her hands and put a stop to it by firmly clasping the offending appendages together. “My father has given you to me as a pet. I don't have a need for a pet, nor do I think you would make a very good one, but nevertheless here we are.” 

She stopped long enough to get the measure of the werewolf woman's reaction to her words. Muffled rage flared in her silver eyes at first, only to subside into seething resentment seconds later. She took that to mean understanding of her situation and started a slow walk around the room. She noticed how the woman's eyes followed her as far as she could without turning her head. Serana's gaze wouldn't last much longer. 

Choosing her words carefully, she said, “I am not like my father. I don't take pleasure in seeing other creatures subjugated. I don't revel in shed blood.”

Silver eyes met hers in a challenging stare. She didn't believe her. That was fine. 

“I spend much of my time in my mother's gardens, or in our laboratory,” she went on. “I don't expect I'll have much use for you at my beck and call. If you keep to yourself, keep your head down, my father's court will leave you be.”

Challenge became suspicion. 

Serana, somewhat frustrated, let out a harsh sigh and crossed the room swiftly to stand in front of the kneeling woman. “Believe this,” she said, emotion bleeding into her voice to make it sharp. “If you do not play the part of pet, you will be killed, or worse, be twisted into one of my father's abominations. The guards who brought you in? Were once as you are now. Now see what they have become.” 

Her silver eyes went wide with horror. Harkon had taken a creature of two natures and merged both into a hulking bipedal with wolfish features and a ferocity tempered only by her father's will. If not for his intercession, they would be ravening beasts tearing through the countryside until a mob put them down. 

But Serana didn't think she needed to share that much, her words already seemed to accomplish their goal. The werewolf woman's shoulders loosened, and her head bowed.

Curiosity struck Serana. “What is your name?” she asked. 

“Elayn,” came the hoarse reply, and then she said no more.


	2. Chapter 2

That day, Elayn slept with her back to a corner and cold stone under her tired body. Fighting her monstrous captors had been a great effort, and losing took its own toll, but sleep came to her unwillingly. Each time her eyes became heavy enough to close, there would be strange noises in the darkness of the castle that jolted her well awake. Even when slumber did find her it was fitful and restless. But she did sleep, and when she woke she found the room was empty except for her. 

Her new mistress-- Elayn didn't care what her name was-- had said the court would leave her be if she kept to herself. She assumed that meant she was free to explore the castle. It would take her time to find a way to escape, so the sooner she started, the better. 

A gurgling rumble filled the silent room with sound and startled her to her feet, searching for a foe to fight. It took her a moment to realize that the noise had been her stomach, empty for too long. It reminded her that the last time she'd eaten was a good day or more before. First things first, she would find some food. The door to her mistress's room swung open readily enough when she pushed it, and she followed her nose from there. 

Sniffing the air led her down stairs hidden in the corner of the hallway-- a servant's route. Elayn had seen the human slaves serving at the feast her capture had interrupted, so she assumed they would have quarters. So she followed the bland smell of humans, a far preferable smell to the scent of vampire, and it led her to a bustling kitchen. 

Three pale faces looked up at her at the sound of her footsteps with fear in their eyes-- fear that faded to nonchalance when they saw her round the corner. A fourth who was busy stirring a large cauldron with her back turned, spun around and brandished her spoon as if it were a weapon. 

“Right, ain't seen you before,” she said with a fierce look in her eye. “I'm Tess, this is my kitchen, and I'm in charge of all the lord's chattel.” Her lips twisted in disgust at the last word, but she went on. “I don't brook no shenanigans and I make sure everyone gets fed. Now sit.” 

Elayn did as she was told, bemused by the direct intensity of the other woman's demeanor, and so struck that it didn't bother her to be ordered about. As she did, Tess brought her a bowl of steaming porridge with bits of sausage mixed in. She ate hurriedly to ease the aching in her gut. 

“Thanks,” she said when she was done, hiding a belch behind her hand. 

Tess nodded once and went back to her cauldron. Elayn got up and followed her, keeping a distance wary of that spoon. “Can I ask you some questions?” 

“Shoot,” she said, eyes on her work. 

Now what was she to ask? A way to escape? Her likely fate at the hands of monsters? The state of politics in some far off land? 

With all that to ask, she never expected, “What do you know about the Lord's daughter?” to come out of her mouth. 

She saw Tess stiffen and her stirring halted for a beat before it picked back up. “That's right,” she said quietly. “I heard you was given to the lady Serana.” 

Serana. A pretty name. Elayn shook her head to rid herself of the thought like it were water. “Aye,” she said in a low growl. 

The other woman eyed her but let the tone pass. “Watch yourself,” she said seriously. “That one is kind enough to the humans of the castle, but she is what she is, and no friend to us.” 

“Kind to the humans,” but what about a stray pup? Elayn was still chafing over being held hypnotized the previous night-- or was it day? It was getting hard to tell. 

“Thank you,” she said instead of divulging her musings, and went to search the castle. 

On soft feet she went up and down the halls of the castle, only avoiding a place if it had guards or vampires in the way. Which meant she couldn't fully explore parts of the castle, but she found a place or two that seemed a likely hiding spot were she to have need of it. After a while of debating with herself, she went down to the grand hall where she had been brought that first night. 

She was edging close to Harkon's seat when a throat cleared behind her. 

“What's a stray pup doing loose of its cage?” a high, mocking voice asked as she whirled to find a man in fine robes watching her, a smile curling his lip that did not reach his eyes. 

When Elayn was silent, he stepped closer. “What's wrong?” he asked, showing sharp teeth. “Afraid? There's no need for that, as long as you weren't sticking your nose where it shouldn't be.” 

She relaxed a little, hearing that. It wasn't like she'd been where she shouldn't, and she hadn't caused any harm. 

“See? No harm done,” he said, as if he could hear her thoughts.

Then he twitched toward her, not moving but giving the impression he would, and she jerked back, her back colliding with the arm of the chair. The vampire's smile widened, setting her instincts clamoring, and she made a move to run. 

Suddenly he was there behind her, pinning her arms to her back with one hand. The other caressed her jaw, making her skin crawl. “The master doesn't allow filth to disgrace the seat of his power,” the vampire whispered in her ear. “And what have you gone and done, you silly pup?” 

Then razor sharp teeth bit down, tearing the flesh over her jugular, and the world went black. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're moving forward! And as a word to the wise, tequila is an awful terrible thing to do to yourself

Serana smelled blood before she reached her door, and her eyes widened. She rushed in, only to freeze in place and curse when she found Elayn on her rug, bloodied and bruised and pale. 

Without a second thought, she leant down to gather the werewolf woman in her arms, growing more concerned when she didn't fight the hold. She set her down gently over the covers and stood back, wringing her hands, wondering what she was to do now. She'd smelled Vingalmo on the werewolf as soon as she picked her up, and cursed again when she realized she had given the woman poor advice. Certain members of her father's court would certainly leap at any opportunity they could to spite him by harming his daughter's new pet. Of course it would be dangerous for Elayn to wander freely. 

Stupid. She'd been stupid. This woman was her responsibility and where had she been? Burying herself in her books because it was easier than trying to address the many things going wrong in her life.

But that was neither here nor there, it was time for action and so she would act. After a few moments thought, she realized she would need help and rang the bell that would summon the humans her father kept as servants; chattel all the same to him. She waited until there was a soft knock at her door and opened it. 

There stood a young woman, one of Serana's favorites even if it were dangerous to have them. Her name was Leta, and she had been born in the castle. Her eyes went from flat resignation to concerned curiosity as she looked around Serana at the woman on the bed. 

“She's new,” Leta said quietly. 

“My father's idea,” Serana said, letting a little of her irritation with him bleed into her voice. It was a relief to see sympathy on another's face, even if only fleeting and fearful. “One of my father's courtiers found her,” she went on. “Gather water and bandages.” 

While Leta went about her mission, Serana went back to the bed to examine the woman lying there. Her arms were bruised with hand-prints, her neck viciously torn. The blood still pulsing weakly from her wounds and Serana found herself digging her nails in her palms to resist its call. It wasn't as though she hated her nature, but it seemed wrong to thirst for someone who was so clearly incapacitated. 

She was rescued from having to consider her disgust too closely by Leta's reappearance. The girl hauled a bucket of steaming water and a pile of white cloth that she set on the bed. “Do you need help, miss?” she asked, eyes cast down to the floor. 

“Thank you, but I can handle it from here,” she said, and the girl made her exit. 

Serana started by tearing away the tattered threads of Elayn’s collar so that she could bathe the skin there with a damp cloth. As she edged closer to the gashes there, the woman stirred and groaned in discomfort. Serana shushed her, brushing her shaggy hair back from her face, and continued on. 

Once the most concerning wound was dealt with, Serana bound her neck in clean rags and set about cleaning the other, less severe injuries littering the werewolf's body. Whoever she had been, she was clearly a fighter; Serana found cuts and bruises that seemed days and weeks old. 

She found herself… Almost distracted by the other woman's body, even though she knew she shouldn't. A hard life had left her with lean sculpted muscle under tawny, weather-worn skin that was still soft to touch. She wondered if Elayn traveled very much, how much of the world she'd seen. She wondered if she had stories to share. 

A knock at her door broke her from her thoughts and she rose to answer it, wiping her hands on a cloth as she went. “Good evening, father,” she said softly, stepping back to allow him entry to her room. 

“My beautiful daughter.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “How fares your new toy?” 

She gestured to the bed, keeping her eyes low. “Not well. She was taken, and left here for me to find.” 

Lord Harkin studied the werewolf on the bed for a moment before he leaned forward and inhaled through his nose. “Ah, Vingalmo,” he sighed. “Always so careless. You should be more careful with your toys, daughter mine.” 

“Yes father,” she intoned, burying her irritation at the understanding that there would be no punishment for her father's upstart courtier.

He turned back to her, she could see it in the way his fine shoes pointed toward her. “Your mother has been missing a long time,” he said suddenly. “You spend much time in her laboratory.” 

“It passes the time,” she admitted, hiding her frown. Where was he going with this? 

“She wrote many things in her books,” he said. “You haven't found anything to say where she might have gone?” 

“No father,” she said. 

“Very well. Good night, daughter mine.” 

After he was gone, Serana noticed that the door latch he had held was bent, crooked. She wondered at that. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a new chapter! Enjoy! And merry Christmas!

It wasn't the worst pain she'd ever been in, but when Elayn woke, her body was clamoring complaints that she had been wounded. Her neck in particular throbbed to the beat of her drumming heart. The room around her smelled familiar, safe enough, but there was one scent too close by that had her pushing the covers away so she could get free. 

“Whoa, whoa.” And there cool hands were, pressing her back to the bed by her shoulders. “Easy, you lost a lot of blood.” 

Had she? What had happened? She narrowed her eyes on her mistress-- Serana. “Did you bite me?” she asked, sleep making her voice rough. 

“No!” Gold eyes went wide with shock and the vampire was standing, backing away. “No, I would not--” She shut her mouth with a snap of effort.

Then she went out of Elayn's range of sight, only to come back with a stone cup of water. “It was one of my father's minions,” she explained in a quiet voice that didn't quite hide the venom in her words. “Vingalmo-- I would avoid him in the future if you can.” 

That explained that, but it seemed like there was more to it. Elayn said nothing, letting the silence between them grow. 

“The politics in my father's court are… Messy.” She sat on the edge of the bed, playing with her hands. “It is likely you were attacked as a result of that. An indirect attack on my father, without the risk of directly provoking his ire.”

Politics. Elayn wanted to spit the word like a curse. She was no stranger to it either, and a small part of her felt sympathy for her mistress. Then it was gone.

“So it's your fault,” she concluded flatly. “And it's likely to happen again.” 

What effect she meant to accomplish with her words, she did not know, but the hurt in Serana's eyes was enough. Good. She knew what it felt like. 

“I actually had an idea,” she murmured, looking away. “But you won't be happy with it.” 

When Elayn did not respond other than to continue to stare at her, Serana sighed and went to the other side of the room to a desk. What she brought back raised Elayn's hackles and brought a snarl to her lips. 

It was a collar, a fine silvery thing that must have been made of steel since it didn't burn Elayn's nose. It burned her dignity instead, and she found herself growling wordlessly at Serana. 

The vampire, to her credit, only smiled faintly, still not looking directly at her. “It would be a symbol that you are mine,” she said softly. “Not to be molested. It's the best I can do to keep you safe, other than to have you at my side at all times.” 

A sharp smile crossed her face. “It isn't as though either of us want that very much, is it?” 

In the end, all the objection Elayn had was simply her pride at work, and pride had no business in matters of survival. It was that attitude that had kept her alive for so long, it would work further. So she let the vampire sit and fix the damned collar around her throat with as little growling as she could manage. 

“What now?” she asked, fighting the urge to shake her head at the slight weight of the collar. 

Serana considered that a moment and rose from the bed. “Now, I might as well show you where I spend most of my nights.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy yall! We're movin along, enjoy!

Serana led the werewolf through the halls to a courtyard lit by a quarter moon hanging in the sky. It was filled by a garden, one that had been lovingly tended by her and her mother for centuries. Her father never came here, especially after her mother had disappeared, and as things between them steadily eroded, she found herself here more often than not, seeking refuge in the tranquil spot. 

“My mother was a better hand at guiding the plants to grow a certain way,” she said in the quiet of the night, breathing air she didn't need for the sweet smell of the garden. “I try and keep it tended as best I can, but without her…” 

She trailed off, noticing that the werewolf she escorted was looking anywhere but at her. Reminding herself that this was no guest to be entertained, she led on through an out-of-the-way door in the back of the courtyard, revealing steps that led up into one of the castles towers. The stairs wound their way up to the top of the tower where the door opened on a room full of tables littered with glassware and containers filled with magical ingredients. She held back a breath she would have used to tell Elayn about the place, and instead went to stand before a table holding her most current project. 

Before her mother's disappearance, they had been tinkering with a shape-shifting potion. This one in particular would transform the user into the shape of a common rat for-- well she had yet to test the durations of the effects, but she was reasonably certain they wouldn't be permanent. It had taken months to find the ingredients she needed, fresh from the source, and now it was time to brew the components together, hopefully with the result of a functioning potion. 

None of this had she meant to say out loud, but when she caught Elayn staring at her with an unreadable expression that she realized she had been speaking her thoughts. Unreadable, but not unfriendly. That was something, at least, maybe. Serana busied herself with the intricacies of potion-brewing and tried not to think about the werewolf crouching in a corner of her lab.

But eventually she could smell sunrise coming and she knew it was time for both of them to go to bed. She stepped away from the table with an air of finality and Elayn rose, cringing a little. Serana realized why, she was using muscles that had been locked in place for hours. The werewolf had never once stopped watching her from the corner, as if wary she might be planning something malicious, and Serana sighed as she realized that no, Elayn was not any closer to trusting her, and there was nothing she could do about that except show her over time that she truly meant her no ill will.

She led the way back to her bedroom and readied herself for sleep trying to ignore the werewolf who was yet again in the-- what was with her and corners anyway? 

Right, back to the wall, where she could see everything in the room. 

Serana sighed again, louder this time, and sat on her bed. “If you’d like,” she said stiffly. “You can sleep at the foot of my bed.”

Those silver eyes were regarding her with murderous intent. “Like a dog,” she spat. “I’d rather sleep on the floor.”

Serana was struck silent. She hadn’t meant-- “Fine. You do that.”

* * *

 

Elayn woke to a symphony of aching joints and muscles thanks to a long and cold night sleeping with her head on her bent knees, back against the corner. It wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to after many a long, cold night up a tree or in a hole somewhere, but it still hurt. 

She woke before the vampire, already catching up to the strange schedule of her kind, and stretched what limbs she could noiselessly. Her mistress slept on even as she rose and stretched her torso on both sides. It was funny, Elayn could creep right up on her and she wouldn’t even notice.

Now if only she could find somewhere to keep a stake. 

She couldn’t help a grim chuckle, which was noisy enough to wake her mistress. Quick as a cat she was back in her corner, standing, waiting.

Watching. 

Because any minute now, her mistress would turn bloody and violent like the rest of them. Her run-in with the bastard in fine robes had taught her that well enough. 

But the vampire woke and readied herself for the night with nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement as she went about her business. Elayn had to give her credit, she certainly had more patience with her games than the rest of the creatures she’d had the misfortune to come into contact with. So she followed along like a dutiful pet while Serana went to her lab to practice her… 

Alchemy. Elayn wasn’t sure how she felt about that part. It wasn’t any kind of magic she had run into before, and the closest thing she could relate it to was her use of healing herbs, but clearly herbs had nothing to do with the strange things the vampire kept in her lab.

Things that she had her fetching, running about like an errand child for whatever she needed that happened to be out of reach. On the one hand, Elayn wanted to be annoyed, because it seemed menial, but on the other hand, it wasn’t exactly as though she had been looking forward to her corner. Fine, this she could tolerate with ease.

Thus the nights went on as the moon waxed fuller and fuller and there came a morning where Serana woke to find Elayn pacing to and fro, panting as though she’d finished a race, her silver eyes bright even in the darkness of the room, as yet unlit by the fireplace standing cold. 

“Elayn?” the vampire asked, concern clear in her voice, even more so in her bearing as she chose to stay in her bed.

She forced herself to stop pacing, and to not stare at the vampire. It would not help. “The moon is full tonight,” she said, well aware the wolf was growling behind her voice. “I need to change. I cannot in this collar.”

She clawed yet again at the wretched thing, knowing she was leaving welts and incensed enough not to give a damn. 

Then suddenly the vampire was in front of her. How had she moved so swiftly? Elayn was stunned enough that it lessened some of the burning in her spine and she stood still while her mistress loosened the collar. 

As it came away she felt the magic crawl yet again over her skin, only this time not to retreat into an agony of pins and needles. Instead she felt the euphoria of the change rush through her body as her bare skin became fur and her limbs shifted into a more fitting shape. She closed her eyes and when they opened she looked up at her mistress from where she stood on four legs and paws. She shook her coat-- the same sandy color as her hair when she walked on two feet. The moon’s call, formidable even though it was nowhere near its peak, lessened now that she was in this form, and she sighed in relief and let her haunches sink to the ground.

“Well now,” her mistress said, eyeing her appraisingly. “Stunning in both forms, I see.”

Then she went bright red, turned her back, and walked directly out the door. Elayn followed after a moment of shock herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I love these two? I love it when they get along better.

_ Why  _ in the name of  _ all  _ that was unholy did she  _ say _ something like that? To her captive, no less; even a creature of pure evil knew that was over the line. It was lucky Elayn wasn’t in human form, no doubt she’d be-- 

Well, not mocking her, but staring certainly. Something about her canine presence was less… daunting somehow. A different kind of dangerous. 

Besides, Serana had always... liked dogs. 

As they walked through the garden, she opened the door to the laboratory only to find Elayn had stopped behind her, standing in the glowing light of the moon. Her head was tilted up, eyes closed. It was almost as though she were bathing in it.

“You know,” Serana said quietly, as not to break what felt like a peaceful moment. “I haven’t pruned the nightshade in a while. I think I’ll work out here tonight.”

Elayn as a wolf was less helpful as an assistant, but a lot more lively in her demeanor as she sniffed here and there around the garden, fluffy tail waving in the air. Serana hid a smile as she worked, liking this, if not softer, then less rigid side of her werewolf. 

My, where had that come from? She knew better than to think of Elayn like that, not when the wolf was her unwilling prisoner. 

A growl, so menacing it sent shivers down her spine, pulled Serana’s attention away from her pruning. She looked up to find Elayn standing behind her, facing an approaching Vingalmo with her hackles raised and teeth bared.

“Careful,” she said, rising and dusting off her black skirt. “The moon is full tonight. And she doesn’t have very much cause to like you as it is.”

The berobed vampire stopped well out of distance of the growling werewolf and gave a courtly bow. “Lady Serana,” he said with all the charm of a polecat. “I do hope the night finds you well.”

“Enough,” she said, acknowledging his bow with a curt nod. “What is your business?”

“Our Lord Harkon requests your presence tonight at his feast. He will be expecting dignitaries from our neighboring countries.” As he spoke, Elayn’s growl rose in volume, so much so that he had to raise his own voice over it, and Serana saw no reason to stop her.

“Very well, tell my father we will gladly attend him,” she said, hiding a smile at the way his own had disappeared. The werewolf had rattled him.

He bowed again and left with amusing alacrity. Her enemy gone, Elayn stopped growling, and turned to Serana with a surprisingly human expression on her wolf face. It asked, quite simply, “We?”

She let herself smile, showing her teeth. “My father will want to see me with his newest present.” Then she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Besides, I’d like to see Vingalmo squirm. Pompous ass.”

Serana could swear Elayn’s panting was laughter.

* * *

 

The moon was full. Her song held Elayn in sway. It was muted by the walls around her, but she could still hear Her sing. It soothed her worries with whispered reassurances of strength, and gave her courage as she walked with the vampire woman deeper into the den of monsters than she cared to go. The closer they grew to the hall where Harkon held court, the louder their revelries became-- and the stronger the smell of blood grew.

They were led to a seat beside Harkon by one of the serving humans. Elayn sat at her mistress’s side, ears pinned back as she fought the urge to growl at the vampires surrounding her. To her back was empty space, a fact that did not ease her. Even worse, a serving human brought a bowl of raw, bloody meat and sat it in front of her.

It wasn’t as though she had any qualms about eating raw meat, especially in her shape with teeth made for cutting sinew, but she could smell it was human and there was a taboo her kind did not cross. No matter what, these creatures would not make her a monster too.

It helped that Vingalmo was seated diagonally across from her. Him, she could glare at with impunity, and it cheered her to see him glance with unease her when her stare became too much.

“Tell me, my dear daughter,” Harkon said, grabbing her attention. “Do you enjoy my gift?”

“Yes father,” Serana replied gracefully, but Elayn’s nose was particularly keen at the moment-- she could smell the tension.

“It cheers me to hear it,” said a man who sounded like he feigned cheer so much he’d forgotten what it really sounds like. “After all, a dutiful daughter must be kept happy.”

The court of vampires laughed in unison, sending a chill up Elayn’s spine. The longer Harkon’s bloody gold eyes were on Serana, the stronger the tension grew. Something wasn’t right here, and right now the instincts of her wolf heart were not silenced by her still-resentful human mind. 

Finding herself sympathizing with her mistress made her uncomfortable, but the truth was in front of her nose. As Harkon went back to conversing with one of the vampires near him, Serana relaxed, and Elayn went back to terrorizing Vingalmo, but the truth remained with her.

She wasn’t the only one being kept in a cage.


	7. Chapter 7

The next night, Serana woke and, while stretching, looked to the corner where Elayn usually was and saw that the wolf was gone, replaced by the crouching woman. 

Who was still asleep. She felt a sense of victory in that,but habit kept her from smiling.

Serana got up from the bed and went to ring the bell. When a human man came to her door she told him to fetch food for breakfast and a goblet of blood. He didn’t remark on either thing, and when he came back his wrist was freshly bound in clean rags. When Serana turned back around, Elayn was awake, and watching her. She was frowning, as if conflicted.

“Come, eat,” she said, setting the platter of porridge, fresh bread, and an apple. She took the goblet and took a drink from it herself.

When the orders didn’t make her furious, Serana was curious; what was the werewolf thinking so hard about? She supposed she could make her speak, but seemed wrong. How to ask? She thought furiously as she took another drink.

Finally, all she could really think to try was honesty. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me,” she said slowly. “But you seem like you have something on your mind.”

Elayn, who had been focused on the food, now focused on her with that same curious frown. She finished what she’d been chewing, then said, “I don’t have to tell you?”

“No.”

She considered that as she took another bite of porridge. “Okay.”

Well that was that. Serana had given her the option and she had chosen not to share. Alright, that was… fine. Curiosity had always been a vice of hers, but she could control herself.

The goblet in her hand was almost empty when--

“Your father is kind of horrible,” Elayn said, breaking the silence.

Serana, shocked, blinked at her before a small, grim smile curled her lips. “Oh, you noticed. He wasn’t always like that, you know. Even as a vampire. Something… happened between him and my mother, they started fighting. He got reclusive and temperamental.”

Her cheeks heating, she looked down at her twisting hands and stopped them with effort. “I don’t mean to--”

“It’s fine,” Elayn said, cutting her off almost gently. “I said something, didn’t I?”

She shrugged, still looking at her hands. “I understand very well why my mother left,” she said in a horribly small voice. “If I could leave too, I would.”

* * *

 

Elayn was rather glad Serana wasn’t looking at her. If the vampire was, she wasn’t sure what her face would look like, so it was better that way. Now she was forcing herself to reconsider some facts. First, Serana hadn’t hurt her, had gone out of her way to take care of her when she was hurt. Second, that neither of them had any desire to stay in this castle longer than absolutely necessary. 

Third… She could never bring herself to be cold when someone was so obviously vulnerable. It put her in a strange position, and she thumbed at the collar that had been replaced that morning. 

But really, what did she have to lose?

She reached forward to clasp one of Serana’s hands, offering the closest thing she could to a smile when golden eyes darted up to meet hers. “Believe me,” she said. “I get it.”

Her mistress smiled watery-eyed. “I’m sure you do.”

The moment was broken when Serana looked to the door and said, “Let’s go to the lab, I don’t like staying cooped up in here.”

In the laboratory, Elayn did her usual job of fetching ingredients and books as Serana needed them. With some of the tension between them dissipated, she felt more comfortable asking questions about the process of alchemy, and her mistress did her best to explain what she could in simple terms.

“Fire rises, right?” she said, gesturing to a glass jar with a long, winding neck. “Heat does too, they’re really the same thing. If you heat up a liquid, it becomes a gas, and the gas goes through the neck of the bottle until it gets to here--” she pointed at another bottle where the vapor was collecting back into fluid. “What I’ve got separating is aconite, I’m trying to distill it to a pure essence.”

It was a lot more complicated than Elayn’s herbal knowledge, but not so much that it didn’t make sense with a little explanation. Time flew by and when Serana was distracted by a complicated step, she poked around the laboratory, flipping through books here and there. She found one with a thin spine, and a faded name written in an incomprehensible flourish on the inside of the binding.

“My mother’s,” her mistress said when she had a moment. “She kept a record of all her research and experiments.”

Elayn flipped to the last page and squinted at the writing that was squiggly enough to be difficult to read. What she saw there shocked her. “Your mother was working on a way to get into Hell?” she demanded.

Serana must not have known, because she looked surprised too. She crossed the room to take the book from Elayn, and skimmed the contents of the last few pages. “It appears so,” she murmured, chewing at her lip. Elayn tried not to notice. “It says she and my father were working on it together, but the notes just-- Aha!” 

She held the book open and offered it to Elayn. “See there? There’s pages missing.”

A thought struck her. “Did your mother say anything to you about where she was going?” she asked.

The other woman thought about it for a moment. “Not anything in particular I can recall, although she did say…”

“What?”

Serana looked pensive. “She said that we-- she and I-- should try to fix the moondial in the garden.

“What’s a moon dial?”


	8. Chapter 8

Serana led the werewolf back out to the garden, and showed her a place off in the corner where a large metal disk was set into the ground, surrounded by a ring of smaller disks, some of which were missing.

“It was a project of my mother’s, but she never got around to finishing it,” she said, circling the disk in the ground. “After all, why bother? A moon dial is completely useless. I didn’t understand why she said it at the time.”

Elayn looked at the dial for a few moments before darting off to a nearby bush. She pulled out a disk with the shape of a waning crescent moon. “Is this part of it? I saw it the other night while you were gardening.”

She took the disk and set it in its proper place with a final-sounding click. “Maybe there are others buried around here?”

The two of them set to looking around the garden in the most likely spots, then the most unlikely when that proved fruitless. Finally they had all the missing pieces gathered, and as Serana set the last one into place, she heard the sound of grinding stone ahead of them. She looked up to see part of the wall recede into itself, then slide to the side, revealing a set of stairs leading up.

“How did she do something like this?” Serana wondered, peering up into the darkness. “It leads to a part of the castle I’ve never been to.”

Elayn responded by grabbing a torch and walking up the first two steps. “You coming?” she asked over her shoulder. Serana huffed a laugh and followed after her.

There were thirty steps spiralling up to a dark corridor covered in cobwebs. Elayn used the torch to brush them out of the way as they went on. They came to a room with low ceilings that had another set of steps set in the back, leading up to a closed door.

“These gargoyles are… awfully realistic,” Serana said, and then the trap sprung.

Elayn cursed as the door behind them slammed shut and with a sound like boulders crashing together, the stone gargoyles sprang to life, roaring with incredible realism. 

“Look out!” Serana shouted, manifesting necrotic energy in her hand to wield against the stone creatures. 

Her magic stymied the creature closest to her, but not enough to stop it from lumbering toward her with grasping claws. She slid out of the way and kept hammering it with energy, while she hoped Elayn was faring against the other two creatures. If only she had a sword…

The sound of metal colliding hard with stone grabbed her attention and she looked to see Elayn kneeling in front of one of the gargoyles, which now had a huge chunk missing from its face. It fell to the ground with a grinding crash and she rounded on the next. 

Serana focused on her own foe, now quite sure her werewolf could handle herself. The creature’s life force could only last so long, and she could see it slowing its steps toward her. Finally it fell to its knees and toppled forward, while she heard Elayn finishing up with the last gargoyle behind her.

“Fell off the door,” Elayn said of her weapon through pants. 

“Good luck that it did.”

They pressed on up the stairs, through the door that swung open readily enough when Serana gave it a shove. It led to yet more stairs that the two ascended wearily, only to come to yet another closed door.

“I’ll go in first,” Elayn offered. “You follow me.”

Was that a protective instinct? Or was she hoping for more battle? To be fair, she had been cooped up for a while.

But when she went through, she quickly gave the all-clear and Serana followed inside. There, she gasped at what she saw. It was a fully stocked lab, even larger than the one she had shared with her mother, and it was lit by purple fire glowing in torch sconces littered along the walls. 

“She never showed me this,” she said in awe. “I don’t think even Father knew about this.”

“Maybe there will be some clues about how she escaped that we can follow,” Elayn suggested, exploring the room leisurely.

Serana made straight for the bookcase and sure enough, there were more journals like the one in her laboratory, dozens of them that she was sure spanned centuries of learning. She could spend weeks here buried in these books and still not be half done. 

But that wasn’t what she was here for. So she grabbed what looked like the freshest book and flipped for the last page, and started reading out loud.

“My husband is a madman. His plans to strike the church will leave us all in ruin. In this age of iron and science, the humans only grow more dangerous to us. If we were to bring their ire upon this castle, I fear we would not last a fortnight. I must leave soon, tonight if I can, to keep him from learning what I have here. I pray that my daughter does not suffer for my sins.”

Silence rang throughout the lab as the last of the page’s words left the air. Serana felt a tightness in her chest. Her mother had known of her father’s madness, had left her to it without a word of warning. Perhaps she had a good reason, but did it matter? Serana was still alone.

She looked up, and saw Elayn’s face was twisted in sympathy. Maybe she wasn’t completely alone.

“Maybe,” she said slowly. “We should try and find out what my dear parents have been getting themselves into.”


	9. Chapter 9

Elayn stood watch for any more gargoyles, or vampires snooping around, while Serana busied herself reading her mother’s most recent journal. Then the second most recent. Then the third. 

“We’re vampires,” her mistress had explained rather apologetically. “Our projects can span centuries. Clearly, this one did.”

So she kept herself busy, or at least she tried to. The books had too many words she didn’t know and Serana asked her not to touch any of the glassware already. In the end she ended up with her back to the wall and her knees bent up to carry the weight of her arms pillowing her head. There she dozed lightly until--

“Ah! Aha!”

Her head snapped up. “Whazzit?”

Serana pointed to a page in her journal with fierce triumph lighting her eyes. “Right here, it says-- hold on, she wrote this part in Latin.”

“Damned be the Catholic Church and their Inquisition. I lose too many of my friends to their self-righteous priests. My husband had a wonderful idea, to find access to the power of our ancestors, the First Ones, to smite the blight of Christianity from the planet. It will take measures beyond my knowing, but what is arguably a little research in the face of eternity? I will find a way to hold open the gates of Hell to empower me and my kin, and humanity will see a scourge the likes of which it has not seen since--”

The vampire squinted and cut off. “I can’t tell what the last part says, but you get the idea. My mother and father planned to open a gate to Hell.”

She sounded remarkably calm about what seemed to Elayn to be a very bad idea. Then she saw that her nails were digging into her skirt. She was far from calm.

“I also found where she went,” Serana went on. “It seems she found a way to get into a pocket dimension of Hell to get away from my father.”

Elayn nodded slowly. “So… we should go get her?”

Her mistress gave her an inscrutable look. “Don’t take offense, but that’s an awfully helpful suggestion.”

Feeling self-conscious, she looked away, crossing her arms. “You’ve helped me, can’t I return the favor?”

Crossing the room with her usual speed and grace, Serana was suddenly in front of her, grasping the tops of her arms and looking into her eyes. The emotion burning there in gold stunned her. “Thank you, Elayn.”

“You’re welcome,” she said roughly, cleared her throat, and looked away. “Let’s get started on this portal, yeah?”

“Alright.”

* * *

Serana translated the spells instructions and the two of them rooted around the laboratory for the necessary components. They came across nearly everything, except--

“Fresh canis root,” she lamented, looking closely at the journal in hopes that the “fresh” part was just a mistranslation. But no, she would have no such luck, and neither would they have luck in finding any in the castle. It only grew in caves in the mountains, where the sun never shined. And the nearest cave was well outside the castle bounds. 

She told Elayn as much, and was surprised when the werewolf looked thoughtful. “You don't think you could get a pass for an evening?” she asked. “He seems keen on indulging you.” 

“His whims don't always fall in line with mine,” Serana said darkly. “Especially when it involves me leaving the castle. Did I mention he's mad and paranoid?” 

“Not paranoid enough to notice us plotting underneath his nose,” Elayn said smugly. “What? It's the truth,” she added when Serana scowled at her. 

Her werewolf was irreverent but she had a point. There was nothing to but try and see if her father would let her out, or else they would never be able to find her mother. That thought gave her the will to nod and say, “I'll speak with him tonight. “

Lord Harkon only ever dined in the Great Hall when there was company. Normally he took his meals in his study, so Serana left Elayn in her room and went to speak with her father when she was sure he had fed. It would put him in a better mood. She hesitated at the solid oak door of his study for a moment before she knocked. 

“Enter.” The door swung open for Serana and she saw her at his desk with a book. 

“Father,” she said, curtsying. “How fares your night?”

Harkon set his book down and watched her with an odd gleam in his eye. “Well, and yours?” 

Pleasantries. That, and the look in his eye, had Serana's nerves on edge. She cleared her throat and stepped further into the room. “A little tiring, if I'm honest,” she said. “These walls almost seem like a tomb after a while.” 

“You should always be honest with me,” he purred, and if Serana's heart still beat it would race. He tilted his head, thoughtful. “What would you ask of me?” 

“Can I go out walking in the countryside?” she rushed out before her nerves could stop her. “I would be well-guarded, and anyway, my pet grows restless being cooped up in my room.” 

He seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he went on an entirely different path of thought. “You have been distant from me, my daughter. I fear you spend too much time in your mother's lab.”

“I enjoy my research there,” Serana protested. “I'm sorry if I've been caught up, there's been an experiment, and--” 

“So like your mother, always busy.” He peered at her with bloody gold eyes. “If I let you go, will you return?” 

“Always, Father,” she hurried to say before he could smell the lie in it. 

That seemed to pacify him, and he leaned back in his chair with a smile. “Such a dutiful daughter. Take one of the guards with you, and be back well before dawn.” 

“Yes, Father,” she said, bowing her head as she made her escape. 


	10. Chapter 10

Elayn followed Serana on two legs, out of the castle and over the bridge that she could still remember being dragged across half-senseless. Trailing behind them was one of Harkon's guards, bearing a scent she did not recognize, and she put its existence out of her mind as best she could. They were on a mission, searching for a component for Serana's spell, and that was what she would focus on. 

Elsewise there was always the stars above to keep them company. It was a rare, cloudless night and she could see the expansive fields of glimmering lights so much more clearly than she could in the castle. 

In an effort to ignore the hulking brute looming behind them, Elayn asked, “So your mother, what's she like?” 

Serana was quiet for a moment as she considered the question. “Very stern,” she said finally. “She expected a lot from me while I was growing up, and even though I usually met her expectations, it could be a lot.” She sighed. “Honestly, I miss her scolding.” 

Unable to relate, Elayn snorted. “You want your mother to yell at you again? I'd pay anything to get the ringing from mine out of my ears.”

“Your mother shouted at you?” she asked, glancing at the werewolf curiously over her shoulder. 

Sensing that Serana was about to ask about her past, she hedged. “Something like that.”

“I don't mean to pry, but--” Why did people always say that when prying was exactly what they meant to do? 

Elayn sighed and gave in. “My home growing up wasn't happy. My parents were at the bottom of the pack, and they took it out on me. I got out of there just after my fourteenth summer.” 

It was quiet between them for a moment before Serana said, “Thank you for telling me,” and it sounded like, “Sorry for making you.” 

“It's fine,” she said, and was a bit shocked to find it wasn't a lie that crossed her tongue. “I don’t…” She tried again. “I’m not used to telling people about my past, but I don’t mind sharing a little.”

Elayn looked up from her feet-- their footing was getting treacherous-- and at Serana, who was smiling at her, and suddenly the tops of her ears were burning. She looked away again, but there was a lightness in her chest that wasn’t there before.

Eventually their path took them to a jagged opening in the ridge that sloped down into a cave. Before she could go in herself, their guard uttered a low, rumbling growl and took point, sniffing the air for signs of a threat. When it came back out, it was silent, and Serana went down into the cave with her hand flickering with purple light. She came back with a bundle of knotted roots in her hand, and back they went to the castle.

* * *

It took some more reading and assembling of various ingredients but soon they were standing in front of a giant brazier and ready to proceed.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen when we go through the portal,” she told Elayn. “But be prepared for anything.”

The werewolf had given her a look that said she wasn’t concerned and bounced the weight of her length of metal in her hand. 

She cast ingredients into the fire and murmured incantations for the better part of a quarter of an hour until, finally, a brilliant bar of hellish red light sprang up before them and widened into a doorway that stank of sulfur even to her nose. 

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” she murmured, and strode through the doorway.

It burned as the light passed over her skin, but it was a sensation that quickly pass as she entered a space that was noticeably hotter. The air was heavier too, and she was glad not to need to breathe. A few steps inside she stopped, turning to see how Elayn was faring.

Not well, she could see when she looked. The werewolf was doubled over, grasping her knees, and breathing heavily. Serana started for her to see if she was alright, only to be stalled by a raised hand. 

“I'm alright,” she panted. “That just hurt.” 

Soon she stood upright and glanced around, her lip curled. “This place is Hell?” 

Serana looked around. They were standing in a corridor of red rough-hewn stone that stretched on ahead for a good while before it looked to turn left and right. There were torched on the wall burning a sullen red that lit the area well enough for even a human to see reasonably. 

“Looks like,” she said. “Now how do we find my mother?” 

“If there aren't any vampires around…” Elayn trailed off and sniffed the air. “Maybe I can hunt her down.” 

Serana was grateful for the suggestion, as she hadn't planned that far ahead. “Let's explore a little and see if you come across a scent.” 

Following the corridor to the right ended in a locked door, so they backtracked and went the other way. This hallway featured doors as well, to the left and right, dotting the otherwise mostly blank wall at random. They kept walking on until Elayn stopped abruptly and sniffed the air. 

“This way,” she said, and took off down a fork in the hallway. 

Serana followed her at a swift clip, as the scent led her further through the twisting hallways until they came across a door that was exactly like all the others. 

“Are you sure?” 

Elayn answered by gesturing at the door wordlessly. Serana shrugged and reached out to knock on the door. 

“Hello?” There was a woman's voice behind the door. “Who is there?” 

“Mother!” Serana became frantic at the sound of her voice and tried the door-- locked. “Where is the key? How do I get you out of here?” 

“Calm yourself child,” her mother said in the voice of one who is used to being obeyed. “There's no way for me to leave here. The key is in the possession of a mighty demon, andI am bound by powers beyond you.” 

“What?” Something inside her broke, bringing tears to her eyes. “But-- Mother--” 

“Hush. There are things I must tell you.” Bright gold eyes bored into hers from behind bars. “Your father has gone mad, he must be stopped. I bound myself here so that he could not use the knowledge I possess to create his gate, but that won't stop him for long.”

“What am I supposed to do?” she sobbed. “He has the whole of his court at his back, and his creatures too. There is no chance.” 

“There is,” her mother said firmly. “Disrupt the ritual, he will not be able to move to stop you. Do that, and the backlash of energy will be enough to destroy him.” 

Serana could feel Elayn behind her, watching, but she ignored her. At the moment all she cared about was that she wanted nothing more than for her mother to hold her, and she was barred by the door. “I can't--” 

“You must,” her mother said fervently. “For the good of our kind, he must be stopped. Will you do this?” 

What else could she say? “Yes, Mother.” 

“Good.” There were heavy, thudding footsteps down the hall, and her eyes widened. “You must go, quickly, before the Guardian realizes you're here.” 

“But there's so much I need to ask you!” 

“Go!”

“C'mon Serana,” Elayn said, grabbing her wrist. “We've got to get out of here.” 

Serana let her drag them down the halls in the opposite direction of the booming footsteps. She wasn't sure how the werewolf was so sure of where they were going, but she ran in a direct enough way that she certainly did seem to. 

Ah right, her nose. 

They made it back without incident and dove through the portal. Serana grabbed a pot of earth and threw it over the brazier. As the fire died, so did the portal, and the last thing she saw was a hulking monster coming around the corner, stooped so it's horns didn't drag the ceiling. 

“Well,” said Elayn, lying on the stone floor. “That was interesting.” 

Serana couldn't help it, she laughed. The noise almost startled her. “Quite bracing. At least we learned something.” And knowing where her mother was, even trapped, took weight off her shoulders she hadn’t even realized she was carrying.

The werewolf rolled over and sat up cross-legged. “Right, how we're supposed to bump your father's elbow while he handles terrifying magic to take over the world. Easy stuff.” 

Serana sniffed the air. “It will be daylight soon. We should go to bed.” 

“Aye,” she said, getting to her feet. 

They went back to Serana's room and she got ready for bed. When she turned around to get under the covers, she saw Elayn standing there, head lowered. 

“Elayn?” 

“Can you take off the collar?” she asked. 

“Of course.” 

When she did, the werewolf surprised her by changing shape to four legs and then surprised her further by jumping onto her bed and curling up at the end. She rested her muzzle on her flank and eyed Serana as if daring her to say anything. 

She did not, just smiled and got under the covers. As a vampire, she didn't get cold enough for discomfort, but the heat radiating off the body at her feet was nice as she slept. 


	11. Chapter 11

Elayn woke the next night to no sign of Serana but a faint hint of a scent telling her that it had been at least an hour since the vampire left. She rose and stretched, her muscles delightfully loose after a night in a real bed instead of on a stone floor. 

At first she thought she might go searching for her mistress-- an honorific that was starting to become an almost playful joke to her-- but on second thought, she wondered if there might be some aspect of their plan to foil Harkon that she could further if she looked. With a fuzzy idea of what to do in mind, she went walking through the castle, eyes open for any vampires that might happen upon her. 

As luck would have it, she didn't run across any of them, but she did find one of Harkon's monstrous creatures standing guard by a large door. It didn't notice her at first, so she slowed her approach so she could get a better look. 

The creature was a twisted combination of wolf and man, standing on two legs but hunched with the weight of huge shoulder muscles supporting long arms ending in vicious claws. It's eyes were silver like hers, and it also wore a collar around its neck. It's pelt was dark and mottled, thick around its back and thinning around its chest. 

“Hail,” she said, coming closer with caution. “Do you speak?”

The creature gave her a sidelong look and lifted its lip to snarl quietly, but said nothing otherwise. 

“Is that a no?” she pressed. “I won't go away until you answer.” 

“I speak,” it said in a basso growl that rumbled her chest. 

“Good.” She sat against the wall, looking up at it. “Do you have a name?” 

It said nothing for a few moments, until it became clear Elayn wasn't leaving. It let out a sigh that sounded disgusted and looked down at her. 

“You lied,” it rumbled.

“What?”

“You said you would go away.” It growled a sigh. “What do you want?” 

“To chat,” she said, and added casually, “We are kin, you know. Before Harkon's magic took hold of you.”

As if struck, the creature stiffened. “We do not speak ill of the master,” it said, and if Elayn didn't know better she might think it sounded nervous. 

“Why not? It isn't as though he'll hear.” She smirked. “Come on, what's the harm?”

It was silent, she hoped it was considering her thoughts. “Ask your questions.” 

She thought about what she might ask for a moment. “Does this magic enslave you?” she asked, lowering her voice to ease the creature she spoke to. 

It shook its head. “Our thoughts are our own. But we obey regardless. Our master's strength is absolute.” 

She meant to ask another question, but movement down the hall distracted her and she looked up to see Vingalmo striding toward them. She jolted to her feet, eyeing him distrustfully. 

“Ah, Serana's pup,” he said, smiling with a cruel glint in his eye. “I thought you learned your lesson about straying where you shouldn't.” 

“I'm not doing anything wrong,” she lied, and hoped that he couldn't smell her dishonesty like one of her kind. 

“Really now.” He turned to the guard. “Well? Has she been poking her nose where she shouldn't?” 

The guard regarded him, then said, while Elayn held her breath, “No.” 

“I see.” He looked at Elayn with malicious disappointment. “Very well.” 

He disappeared down the hallway while Elayn fought to calm her rapid heartbeat. “Thank you,” she said after a moment's thought. 

“Don't make me do it again,” the guard said, not looking at her, and she all but ran back to her mistress's room. 

* * *

Serana, assuming her werewolf could use the extra sleep if she wasn't awake by the time Serana got up, left her to her rest and went to her lab to read more about her father's ritual. Her mother's journals were quite detailed, spanning centuries of work, and it would take her time to get through it all and find answers.

Then, midway through reading a passage describing the set up of the ritual, she got a bad feeling that had her rising to her feet and descending the tower stairs before she really thought about it. She went to her room first, following her gut. 

There she saw Elayn, crouched in the corner, looking up with wild silver eyes. For a moment Serana thought she might attack, but then dismissed the idea. Nothing she had done had given her the impression Elayn would do something like that. So why were her eyes so wide? 

“What happened?” she asked softly, crossing the room to sit on the bed, noting the way Elayn watched her like she might spring and attack at any moment. 

After a few seconds, Elayn stood up and paced the length of the room. “Vingalmo found me,” she said finally. “I was talking to one of the guards, if it hadn't lied and told him I wasn't up to anything, I'd be--” 

She broke off her hurried stream of words with a grim smile. “Well, nothing good.” 

Serana sighed in frustration. “Of course he did. Even the collar didn't work. I'm sorry.” 

Elayn halted her pacing to regard her with a curious look. “You apologize a lot for someone who's supposed to hold my leash.” 

She raised her hands and shoulders in a shrug. “Why shouldn't I? It's not like I asked for-- for a pet.” 

“No, you didn't.” She kept staring. 

“Are you going to keep standing there all night?” she half-snapped when the staring made her uncomfortable. 

In response, Elayn sat down at the other end of the bed and raised an eyebrow that asked, “And now what?” 

She had no answer to that, and leaned back on her pillows with a sigh. “Things,” she said, rubbing her temples. “Are becoming less simple every day that passes.” 

She heard a grunt of agreement. 

“I did some more reading in the lab,” she said to fill the silence. “My father's ritual takes the sacrifice of a hundred innocents. There aren't that nearly many humans in the castle, but I'm sure he could find them quickly enough in the countryside.” 

“Then we’ll know he’s ready to begin when he gathers more chattel?” 

“I suppose so.” She considered the next part a moment before she said it. “There was more, something about a vessel they would need to find, but I didn’t read far enough for any details. Once we know what that is, maybe we can steal it before he can perform the ritual? I’m sure I can find a way to escape the guards while their attention is on the humans, we can--”

She stopped, feeling her cheeks pink. Funny how she had that tell despite lacking a beating heart. “I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.”

Elayn tilted her head and looked at her for a few beats. Then she said, “I know a cabin across the west border, a family lives there, they’d give us shelter until we found somewhere further to run.”

Emotion tore through her and she gasped even though she didn’t need the air. “You would… travel with me? Even once we’re free of this place?”

The werewolf cleared her throat and stood abruptly, pacing yet again, and did not speak at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* Feelings? How will poor Elayn cope!
> 
> I don't know if you can tell but I despise Vingalmo.
> 
> Thank yall so much for reading and for such kind comments! For more of my stories, follow me @destructionofsanctum.tumblr.com


	12. Chapter 12

Damn, she had to ask, not let it be like Elayn hoped she would. Damn. How was she to know she’d respond to the vampire’s excited plans for a future where they walked together so enthusiastically? But she had, something that as she examined it seemed right, and she didn’t feel inclined to take it back, but. Damn. 

Her “mistress”-- how could she do anything but laugh at that? Serana might hold the leash, but it was only because Elayn let her. In this bookish vampire’s presence she’d known peace, when her wolf should have been raging, so of course she would follow her. Of course. 

She stopped her pacing for a moment, and turned to the vampire, and found she could not meet those worried golden eyes. Funny, they looked nothing like the cold glint of Harkon’s eyes. They were warm, like amber and firelight.

What to say? Maybe the truth. “I… enjoy your company,” she said, then found the words weren’t enough. She tried again. “It is soothing. To be around you. In a way I have not felt before.” 

She glanced at Serana’s face, where she saw understanding dawn. Then surprise. Then… awe? She looked away again. Then the vampire rose. 

“May I… touch you?” she asked.

Elayn nodded and then she was there, standing before her, cupping her jaw in a gentle hand that smelled like nightshade and dusty books. The touch sent a thrill through her, one that left her muscles loose in its wake and she sighed, letting her eyes slide shut, letting herself lean into the touch.

Then Serana’s cool breath washed over her face and she opened her eyes to find golden eyes very close to hers, their lips nearly touching. The distance was a question, and Elayn answered by closing it. 

It was a sweet kiss, softened by offered trust and grateful acceptance. Then it was over too soon, and Serana leaned back to give her some space. Elayn sighed roughly, grateful and yet disappointed. She decided to just be grateful and smiled.

“Thank you,” she said, hoping her meaning carried over. 

The gentle look on Serana’s face said it had.

* * *

 

Serana led the way to her mother’s hidden laboratory-- after she asked Elayn to change into her furred form. If they ran across Vingalmo again, she wanted a chance to terrorize the old polecat for trying his luck with Elayn.

But as fortune-- or misfortune-- would have it, Vingalmo was nowhere to be seen, and they ascended the stairs to the lab with no incident. Serana settled herself on a dusty chaise lounge with one of her mother’s journals while Elayn sniffed around the lab. After a while she settled against the lounge by Serana’s arm. 

Feeling bold, she held her book with one hand, while she let the other hang down by Elayn’s ruff. When the werewolf made no motion to move, she slipped her hand into the soft fur around her shoulders, and scratched softly.

Elayn made a rumbling noise and sighed, pressing herself up so Serana’s hand was more firmly against the spot between her shoulder blades. A smile slid over her lips as she kept up the petting motion of her hand, and she shifted a little so she could keep doing it, and continued to read.

When dawn came, they went back to Serana’s room, and Elayn turned back. Odd how her clothes came with her, and disappeared when she changed. She chalked it up to one of the oddities of magic and paid it no further mind.

The werewolf made to curl up on the end of the bed when Serana stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “Would you like to sleep on the bed properly?” she asked, letting amusement color her tone.

Elayn looked at her, then at the end of the bed, then nodded slowly. She remained standing while Serana readied herself for sleep, then while she slid under the blankets. Only then did Elayn lie on top of the covers, arms at her sides. She seemed too stiff to sleep, and Serana hoped she would relax and rest as she herself drifted off into dreams.


	13. Chapter 13

Elayn woke, an arm pinned to the bed, to the scent of nightshade and Serana thick in her nose. She closed her eyes and realized that she was pressed to the vampire’s back, one arm tucked behind her own head and the other slung over the other woman’s midriff. She slept in a white linen shift, thin enough that Elayn could feel cool smoothness where her hand pressed, and she swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat.

For a moment she thought to extricate herself, but something in her couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead she shifted closer, burying her nose in Serana’s neck, sighing at the way it made her feel warm and fuzzy. Her hand tightened over Serana’s belly, and the vampire shifted with a soft moan.

Elayn froze, unsure if she should move or not, and before she could make a decision there was a hand over hers, holding it in place. 

“You’re warm,” Serana said, voice roughened with sleep. “Feels nice.”

So she relaxed again, letting herself enjoy the feeling of holding someone. They lay like that while Serana woke up fully and stretched, the motion pushing her even more closely against Elayn, who did not at all mind. Then she got out of bed, which Elayn did mind, and started getting ready for the night. She rang a bell for breakfast and it was Leta who brought it up. 

“Thank you dear,” Serana said, taking the tray to the bed. 

“Anything else miss?” the girl asked, taking unsubtle glances at the werewolf sprawled in the bed. 

Said werewolf had an idea and sat up. “Hey Leta,” she said. “You haven’t heard any plans to bring in more humans any time soon, have you?”

The serving girl looked around quickly before stepping further into the room, cringing as though she expected to be struck. “Yes, miss,” she whispered. “At the end of this week, the lord will be bringing in chattel for a special feast.”

Serana blinked in recognition. “That’s right, I do remember him saying something about that. Do you think…” She trailed off, and Elayn caught her meaning.

“Maybe,” she said, giving Leta a smile. “Thanks.”

The girl made her exit hastily and let the door swing shut behind her. Elayn sat up and grabbed the bowl of porridge. “The sooner I taste rabbit,” she groaned. “The happier I’ll be.”

“I imagine you’ll get plenty of time to hunt then,” Serana said, taking the goblet of ruby liquid from the tray. She drank from it, and wiped away the red from her lips with red fabrice of her sleeve. “After we finish this. I thought we would have more time.”

Elayn shrugged. “Better than hiding that we know for months in wait.”

“That’s true.”

They ate and went to the laboratory, where Serana took up her perch on the chaise and Elayn sat on the floor with her back to the furniture. She leaned her head against the vampire’s hanging hand, asking, and was answered with a gentle hand petting her hair. She sighed, eyes sliding shut, and dozed there while she waited for Serana to find something interesting.

It didn’t take long either, or so it felt. “There’s more information on the vessel here,” she said, reading so closely from the page that it nearly touched her nose. “It says it will be… the scion of two children of the night, born on a blood moon.”

“Children of the night?” Elayn asked, twisting her neck to look up at her.

“Vampires,” Serana said faintly, looking slightly paler than usual. “The child of two vampires.”

Did that mean… “Your parents are both vampires,” she said.

“It’s me.” Serana swallowed audibly. “The vessel is me.”

* * *

 

Once when Serana was young, she tried flying by jumping off a parapet into her mother’s garden below. There had been a moment where she felt weightless and light-- only to quickly feel dread as her stomach tried to tuck itself into its throat as she fell. It had been luck that her mother saw her and managed to catch her before she hurt herself too terribly. 

Right now, her stomach was trying the same thing it had then. 

It wasn’t common for vampires to bear children, in fact it was almost unheard of as far as Serana knew. It had taken great magic for her conception, and her birth had taken a terrible toll on her mother. All that effort, and she was nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes of dominion? Not just him, but her mother too.

In a beat Elayn was sitting on the couch next to her, tugging her close with an arm around her shoulder. “It’s alright,” she assured her, unsure of what else to say. “He won’t use you.”

“We need to run,” Serana said, suddenly gripping her hands tight and looking into her eyes. “Tonight. I can distract the guards, I know a way through the gate, if we run then--”

“Then Harkon will chase us,” Elayn reminded her gently, turning her own hands over to clasp Serana’s. “Until he hunts us down and goes ahead with his plan. If we run, we need to be rid of him.”

“Do you understand how risky what you’re proposing is?” Serana demanded hotly. “He won’t let you anywhere near during the ceremony, and doubtless he’ll have me incapacitated in a way that I won’t be able to act either.”

The werewolf-- her werewolf, as she was growing more fond of thinking-- considered that for a moment, then said, “But how will he keep me away? He’ll have to put me under guard if he tries to keep me bound or locked up.” She smirked, somehow feeling confident in the midst of all this uncertainty. “I’m good at getting out of places.”

Serana couldn’t help it; she chuckled. “Then how is it I’ve managed to keep you here?”

“I’m good at getting out of places I want to escape,” she amended, tapping a kiss on the vampire’s nose, then more firmly on her lips. “You just trapped me better than anyone’s ever managed to before I really got up the urge to make my exit.”

Normally she spoke of traps with full malice in her voice, but her tone was only playful, and it made Serana smile in spite of everything. “We’ll figure something out,” she said, feeling more certain of the words than she might have before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens...


	14. Chapter 14

The week passed by with Serana and Elayn holed up in her mother’s laboratory, poring through the journals in an effort to figure out exactly how Elayn should go about disrupting the ritual. Eventually it became clear that at least that part would be fairly easy; the ritual involved a series of circles and sigils lined with precisely placed crystals and other occult objects. Knock enough of those out of place, and the portal would hopefully explode in Harkon’s face. 

The night before the feast, they retreated to Serana’s room earlier than usual, the vampire claiming she wanted to get plenty of rest before all the excitement that would follow. Elayn waited while she readied herself for bed, but was puzzled when instead of sliding into the covers first, she slipped her shift from her shoulders and held her hand out to Elayn as the fabric fell to the floor. 

“Trust me?” she asked, and Elayn in that moment fervently did.

They fell into each other almost frantically, their touches less awkward than their first kiss. It was a sweet reverse of their usual roles, and yet so like them. Aside from initiating the kiss, Serana was hesitant, while Elayn brought them both to the brink. Spent and sated, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, too exhausted to lie awake in fear of the coming night. 

Serana was taken while Elayn slept. It had to be while she was forced unconscious by some magic, or she never would have let her mistress be taken.

* * *

 

“I’m disappointed, my daughter,” Harkon said heavily, standing in observation as his more magically inclined courtiers assembled the ritual for the portal. “Lying with beasts. I thought I raised you better.”

Serana said nothing, would not look at him, not while she was bound to a pillar, waiting for her part. 

He scoffed and strode over to her, gripped her jaw in one large hand, and forced her to meet his eyes. “Impertinent,” he chided, voice full of menace.

“Bored,” Serana shot back. “When will this be over?”

“When the moon is high,” he said, jerking her head before letting go and stepping away. “Do you not appreciate the sacrifice you will be making? You will be the spark that burns the world of the plague of humanity.” He sounded genuinely curious, if not still threatening.

“I thought you loved me.” Serana kept her voice flat, even as the words sent a pang through her heart.

“We must sacrifice what we love for greatness,” he said, utterly convinced of his own dedication. He was completely insane. 

* * *

 

Elayn wrenched at the bars of her cage for the dozenth time since she’d awoken in it, growling. Her guard growled back, but she ignored it in favor of dropping back to the floor with a huff. She had to get out, had to find where they were starting the ritual. She hadn’t expected the bars to be so damned thick, which was her mistake. The cage was large, maybe it was meant to hold the likes of her guard. 

As she was plotting other means of escape, there was a knock at the door, and another hulking guard stalked in and faced the one standing by the cage. 

“Shift change,” it growled. “Go.”

Her guard left without another word, letting its post be resumed by its relief. Elayn cursed, she hadn’t known their shifts would change so quickly. She would have to wait for the next for an opportunity to--

“Pups who cause trouble get put in cages,” the guard said, and growled strangely. Was it… laughing at her?

“Before I even got started too,” she said mournfully. “What a pity.”

“Indeed.” The guard crouched down in front of the door of her cage, looking in. “Can you stop the master?”

“What?” Elayn nearly fell over in shock. She peered closer at the guard. Wait a moment, she recognized that pelt.

“You’re the one from earlier!” she exclaimed. “That I spoke to.” 

“You waste time stating the obvious,” the guard rumbled. “Can you do it?”

“If I could get out of this cage, I could,” she said as quick as she could. “I don’t suppose you have a key.”

In response, the guard reached out and grabbed the bars of the cage door. With a heaving grunt, the metal gave way and the guard pulled it away so Elayn could walk out without even having to bend her neck.

Something occurred to her. “Before I go,” she said. “Is there any way to reverse what’s been done to you?”

“What’s done is done,” it growled. “I will be content with freedom from this place.”

“What’s your name?” she persisted. 

The guard stared down at her for a moment, then said, “Elis.”

And Elayn took off out the door and down the hall.

She followed her nose, which led her down corridors toward the biggest source of vampire scent she’d smelled in a while. It led to a large door set in a wall down a large hallway. 

But before she could reach it, her instincts screamed and she skidded to a halt. Out of the shadows came a familiar bastard in robes and she bared her teeth. 

“Vingalmo,” she growled. “I’m glad it’s you who got in my way.”

The vampire smirked, and gestured broadly with his hands as two hulking guards she hadn’t scented came out of the shadows too. “I think you’re hardly in the position to be glad, pup. You won’t be interrupting the lord’s ceremony.”

Elayn was tough, but she wasn’t that tough. While Vingalmo stood by watching, the two guards swooped in on her. She fought with everything she had and still ended up held by the arms, with a throbbing eye and a cut lip she could feel dripping blood onto her chin. She struggled and her arms were wrenched further behind her back, putting strain on her shoulders that had her biting the uncut side of her lip to keep from crying out.

“Now,” said Vingalmo, striding closer to grip her chin with iron fingers, wrenching her head to the side when she tried to bite him. “What to do with you?”

She panted, thinking furiously, and ignored him while he deliberated, pulling her chin this way and that to further the indignity of his hold on her. Then, inspiration struck, and she prayed to gods she wasn’t sure of that it would work.

“Elis let me loose,” she said, her words bypassing Vingalmo completely, aimed at the two twisted werewolves holding her. “I can end this.”

She was hoping a lot of things; that the vampires were as careless as she thought and didn’t know the names of their creatures, that said creatures had any sort of camaraderie, and that it would be enough to save her life now. She waited moments that seemed like an eternity.

“What are you-- What is this?!” the vampire demanded, backing away as the guards dropped Elayn and advanced on him. “Know your place--”

The rest of his words were cut off in a screech that ended in a wet gurgle as fangs flashed and tore through the flesh of his throat like paper. The blow nearly severed his head and he fell to the ground in a heap, bleeding thick, sludgy blood onto the rug covering the stone floor below.

Elayn fell into a crouch and watched all this happened, stretching her arms this way and that to relieve the pain in her shoulders. When the werewolves turned to her, she was quick to rise to her feet and not look either of them in the eye. 

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m going to kill that bastard that held us as slaves.”

“Good hunting,” the one with bloody teeth said, while the other nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Elayn opened the door leading to the dark ceremony, shifted form, and slipped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't describe some things as much as I'd like, but ah here we go anyway. We're coming up to the end of the road, friends!


	15. Chapter 15

The room was huge, with high vaulted ceilings and covered windows set into the walls. It was also full of vampires, a huge crowd of them, all chanting. They were so focused on the scene ahead of them that they didn’t see Elayn slip into the room and slide along the wall to get a better vantage point. 

She saw Serana first, bound on her knees in the middle of a series of interlocking circles painted in red. Then she saw Harkon, hands pressed to the edge of the outermost circle. The room smelled like death, and when Elayn looked she could see the corpses of humans slain to make those bloody marks. There were yet more humans surrounding the space where the circles were, making a wall of kneeling bodies to keep any intruders back. This would not be easy. She would get one chance to disrupt the ritual, she would have to make it count.

So she went for the easiest target. Harkon couldn’t make a move to defend himself. 

Elayn leaped on the shoulders of a vampire in front of her, knocking him down as she launched herself from there past the crowd. She broke through the ring of human slaves and bounded for the vampire lord. It was easy to sink her teeth into the back of his neck and shake him like a rabbit, breaking his neck. It wouldn’t kill him immediately, but it would certainly stop him from continuing the ritual.

In the span of a breath, three things happened. First, the vampires surrounding her hissed in collective outrage. Second, she snapped at the ropes around her mistress, freeing her. Third, a horrible screeching sound filled the room.

Then Harkon’s corpse exploded, and Elayn was knocked senseless

* * *

 

Fire. The room was on fire. It was already so hot, and it had only barely begun to spread. The force of the ritual being disrupted had flung her and Elayn clear of the flames and by the door. The vampires, and the humans being used for the ritual, weren’t so lucky; they caught the full fury of the pyroclastic blast that followed. 

“Elayn!” she shouted over the noise, crawling over to shake the unconscious, furry body of the woman she was quickly realizing she loved. “We’ve got to get moving!” 

At first she got no response, then Elayn’s leg twitched, and her eyes opened. She jumped to her feet and shook herself mightily, then looked up at Serana with silver eyes that said she agreed.

They took off out the door, shutting it behind them, and already smoke was bleeding through the cracks between it and the wall. Down the halls they went, Elayn after Serana, their way clear of vampires who had all been attending the ritual. Then, when the door was in sight and the hall was beginning to fill with smoke, she skidded to a halt and felt Elayn collide with her. 

“The humans,” she said frantically. “We have to get the humans out of here.”

Elayn sneezed and nodded and took off in another direction. She followed the scent of human to one of the serving stairwells that led to the kitchen. They were all there, gathered together by Tess who looked like she was hiding her fear well. 

“What’s going on Lady Serana?” she demanded, as respectful as could be given the circumstances.

“My father is dead,” she said. Explanations could wait. “We need to get out of this castle.”

Smoke was starting to fill the air as she and Elayn led the humans out through the great hall where it all had begun. They ran out the huge door leading outside, through the field between them and the gate. 

“Open it!” Serana shouted at the guard, who hurried to obey. 

Past the gate, well into the forest beyond, Elayn started to relax, and she slowed to a stop, the humans following them following suit. They were near a brook, she could hear it burbling peacefully in the background, and it eased her further. She changed back, and when she was done shaking the magic from her limbs, she looked to Serana.

“What do we do now?”

She considered that. “Do you think that cabin you mentioned might have room for a few more people?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very long, I know, but I'm posting the epilogue soon today so hopefully that makes up for it!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I meant to post this yesterday, and then got hells of busy. Enjoy this short epilogue and look forward to more stories about these two in the near future!

As it turned out, there was enough room for a few days. They had no money to speak of, had left anything Serana might have of value at the castle but the brooch on her dress, but the humans who lived there were old friends of Elayn and were happy to offer some food and somewhere to rest in exchange for some chores. Slowly the group that had followed them out dwindled day by day, until Tess and Leta were the only ones who remained. The first had endeared herself by sharing the chore of cooking, the second by being too sweet to be anything but charming. 

“Take care of yourself, miss,” Tess said to Serana the day they left. “And watch out for that wolf of yours. I can tell she’s trouble.”

“She’s good at getting herself into things,” Serana said, smiling at Elayn’s noise of outrage. “But she’s good at getting herself out too. I think we’ll be alright.”  
After so long being stuck in the castle, Elayn quickly felt her old wanderlust starting to set in, and she found Serana out by the chicken-house one morning before dawn. “So,” she said. “Where do we go now?”

“I’ve always wanted to visit France,” Serana said, watching the chickens peck at the dirt. Then she turned to face Elayn. “But what about you?”  
“France sounds good,” she said, instead of “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

But maybe some of it bled into her words, because Serana smiled warmly at her, and drew her close for a kiss that lasted until the sun’s first rays peaked over the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> Liked this? Go to my Wattpad account for original stuff!
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/Destructionofsanctum


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